Bermuda Escape Cruises - insights, information, and more just on Bermuda

[CCWineLover]

4 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Addendum, got an email from my shore-side torturess shortly after contacting the ship.  I suspect the ship straightened out the shore-side rep.  However, she got it slightly wrong, not realizing arrival day is Day 0 on the Day 4 and Day 8 countdown.  But it was at least an attempt.

Wow - talk about smart thinking!  Must have been a moment of clear-headedness for sure.  Congrats though on getting through to Orion.

 

Just finished doing the Verifly App myself.  Not too bad actually.  My wife had JUST finished her hair so no problem for us.

Someone before said you had to pick Viking and then an itinerary, but all I did was enter our booking number and everything was fine.   Not really that bad an app - had no hangups.  Would give it a grade of C+ - but only because I am very familiar with the way they design apps these days (which IMHO is not really that great).   I can just imagine how many customers will have immense problems!  They'll either need to get the kids, grandkids to help them or else Viking better have a support line just for Verifly.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

2 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Wow - talk about smart thinking!  Must have been a moment of clear-headedness for sure.  Congrats though on getting through to Orion.

A very short moment....

 

But at least now I have a piece of paper to waive at the Bermuda public health troopers as they are dragging us to jail for not showing up at the pre-arranged day 4 and day 8 test appointments.

[bobitegirl]

Thanks to the poster who copied the instructions for the app here. I was concerned because my husband does not have a smart phone, but apparently after I complete mine, I can then add him.

 Has anyone else done this?

[CCWineLover]

6 minutes ago, bobitegirl said:

Thanks to the poster who copied the instructions for the app here. I was concerned because my husband does not have a smart phone, but apparently after I complete mine, I can then add him.

 Has anyone else done this?

Yes - we just did this!  I added the initial name (mine) and photo/vaccinations stuff and then did "Add Companion" and did all my wife's information.  PIece of cake!  She didn't have to touch a thing except pose for a picture.  (I discovered too late we could have used one I already have on my iPhone)

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

Holy Enchilada! Just completed(me thinks) the Verifly vaccination proof. After everything was submitted the sceen went "success". They will return with an email once all is verified? I'm the least tech 54 year old around, but everything was surprisingly simple. Thank you everyone for sharing your tales of angst & challenge as well as encouragement & information. I'm not on the CC boards much, but this forum is required reading & group therapy. 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

On 6/2/2021 at 9:57 AM, What was that? said:

Here's the site I keep an eye on. It is a Bermuda Government site (I believe) and it says 4 days in advance from 6 June.

https://www.gotobermuda.com/covid-19-travel-protocols

Oh crap, the gotobermuda covid guidance page has gone away and now takes you to the .gov government page.  Things are changing on these pages.  Seeing an update on the non-immunized page dated today, and it mentions guidelines are changing on the 13th. The page for the immunzed hasn’t changed yet, but I don’t see any mention of 5 days, 4 days, or 3 days on things it links to.

 

Get ready for more turmoil!

 

(PS - on the TA application page it says 5 days, but makes no mention of the window shortening to 4 days tomorrow, like the gotobermuda page used to.  What a fricking mess!)

Edited June 6, 2021 by Ragnar Danneskjold

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

And of course,  the geniuses at Viking are still showing 3 days.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

All ten of us that actually make it onto the ship should meet up in the Explorers Lounge at 7ish on Wed the 16th.  Can’t do it on the 15th as we will be doing the sunset catamaran sail (likely alone) and dinner at 9 in Manfredi’s.  If there is anyone else in Manfredi’s at around 10:30pm, please join me and the lone waiter in singing Happy Birthday to my DW.

 

Going to be a lonely cruise...

[Respbj]

On 6/5/2021 at 7:02 AM, B_A_H said:

Every start-up cruise is going through a version of the same thing we are.  Things aren't normal and they (and we) should have known that.  

 

Watch this video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8vh0uYnYrI

 

Once we're in Viking's hands I'm really not concerned.  They and Bermuda will have worked out the mid-stay testing and Viking's already said they'll provide us with test results to re-enter the U.S.

 

The three hoops we need to jump though to get onboard the ship are:

 

1. The airline
   
   Bermuda isn't a popular destination (EG: Mexico) and airline personnel aren't going to be familiar with the entry requirements.  They'll look it up in their respective systems.  I'm sure "need Bermuda Travel Authorization" will be the headline.  If we have one we should be good to go.  If the policy in the airline's system is outdated point the airline employee to where the newest requirements are located. There may be some haggling and even a supervisor involved but with a Travel Authorization in-hand the airline won't deny you boarding. Assuming I have a Travel Authorization this hoop doesn't concern me.
    
2. Bermuda
   
   We've beaten up "how many days before" and "PCR vs. others" pretty good.  Assuming we all get test results uploaded for the Bermudian government and get a Travel Authorization this hurdle will be cleared.  I believe the Bermudian government will rely on Viking to meet any of their requirements once we're on the island. 
    
3. Viking
   
   We = revenue.  Viking needs revenue.  They also need these "Welcome Back" cruises to be successful so they can point to them in the future to convince more people to get back on their ships.  They want us to sail.  I believe that as we get closer to the 5-7 day window to get Viking our health and travel information their requirements will become clearer. The process should also get smoother once they have a few cruises under their belt. Until the first sailing is complete everything we and they are discussing is hypothetical.
   
   I also believe that what we send them in that window will be heavily scrutinized and that they'll work with anyone whose information isn't up to par to make it so. As I said before, once we're in their hands, I'm not  concerned.  They aren't going to flub something and leave 450 people stranded on the ship or unable to leave Bermuda.  If not for our comfort simply to protect current and future revenue.

Yes, this is complicated.  Yes, each "hoop" presents risk.  But I still feel the vast majority of us will be fine.  I do also think there will be unforeseen complications that may affect some people (EG: test not back in time, Travel Authorization delayed, airline issues) but that's the price we and others on all these start-up cruises need to pay to be trailblazers.  For those that didn't expect this you may have been a tad naïve.  Same applies to those that thought Viking had a magic wand to make it go all go away. 

 

There's no shame in pulling the ripcord and cancelling for those that find the anxiety created by all of this unnerving.  Not everyone's cut out to be a trailblazer. For those sticking it out, think of the stories we'll have to tell when we get back,  ;)

Nicely said, I’ll be one of those Viking Explorers on the 6/15 sail hoping all pre cruise goes as planned🤞

[Respbj]

11 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

And of course,  the geniuses at Viking are still showing 3 days.

A few of us have called and did live chat to tell them their 5/11 information changed on 5/19 and all they say is we will let those who need to know … know but still the website hasn’t changed. People need to be proactive here for these early cruises or they will literally miss the boat!

[jollyjones]

The gov.bm website is always very slow to update and they often only add stuff but don't delete things that are no longer valid. This is the latest on the timing of your pre-arrival test taken from the press conference 18th May - words spoken by the Minister of Health. The day you take the test is Day 0 so, for example, to arrive on a Friday, you can test on Monday.

Also, before I end, I would like to address the timing of the traveller’s pre-arrival test. It was announced previously that the timeframe for the pre-arrival test would change from 5 days to 3 days, from 6 June. We have listened to the concerns expressed about this being too short a period to allow for a test result to be received. Therefore, from 6 June the Ministry will change the timeframe for the pre-arrival test from 5 days to 4 days.

 

PS A small thing but you should be aware - when you apply for your travel authorisation (cost $75) to enter Bermuda, only Visa and Mastercard are accepted. I doubt that's a problem but there it is.

Edited June 6, 2021 by jollyjones

[Triptkr]

12 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

The gov.bm website is always very slow to update and they often only add stuff but don't delete things that are no longer valid. This is the latest on the timing of your pre-arrival test taken from the press conference 18th May - words spoken by the Minister of Health. The day you take the test is Day 0 so, for example, to arrive on a Friday, you can test on Monday.

Also, before I end, I would like to address the timing of the traveller’s pre-arrival test. It was announced previously that the timeframe for the pre-arrival test would change from 5 days to 3 days, from 6 June. We have listened to the concerns expressed about this being too short a period to allow for a test result to be received. Therefore, from 6 June the Ministry will change the timeframe for the pre-arrival test from 5 days to 4 days.

 

PS A small thing but you should be aware - when you apply for your travel authorisation (cost $75) to enter Bermuda, only Visa and Mastercard are accepted. I doubt that's a problem but there it is.

Where does it say this on the government website?  I'd like to see it in writing

[Triptkr]

12 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

And of course,  the geniuses at Viking are still showing 3 days.

I've been looking and looking for something updated, I don't remember seeing this page before but I could be incorrect.  I also couldn't find a date on when this was written, just fyi.   Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

 

 

[Triptkr]

Suppose you all have already seen this document.   I don't think I see anything in it to indicate they are going to change the days that one must be tested pre-arrival...

 

http://bermudalaws.bm/laws/Annual Laws/2020/Statutory Instruments/Quarantine (COVID-19) (No. 3) Order 2020.pdf

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

12 minutes ago, Triptkr said:

I've been looking and looking for something updated, I don't remember seeing this page before but I could be incorrect.  I also couldn't find a date on when this was written, just fyi.   Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

 

 

This page has changed.  Changed yesterday, as shown on the page, and makes a cryptic reference to June 13th.  This is the page you first see, for un-vaccinated people, then click through to vaccinated.

 

https://www.gov.bm/coronavirus-travellers

[B_A_H]

Covid order #3 was just released.  That's the PDF that @Triptkr just posted (thank you).  Here's what it says.

 

 

The verbiage for the Travel Authorization says the same thing and references order #3.

 

 

So, for now, we can unequivocally say it's 5 days.  The airlines and Viking may not know that yet but it's 5 days.

 

But here's the thing, it could change again.  It's changed repeatedly.  Each time it does we go on another tear of "but Viking says" and the "airline's showing" and "this website doesn't match that website."  The only body with any authority is the Bermudian government ( https://www.gov.bm/coronavirus-travellers-visitors ).  So if/when it changes again that's the source of the most current information.  Viking, the airlines, and third party sites will eventually catch up.  

 

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by B_A_H

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

1 hour ago, Respbj said:

A few of us have called and did live chat to tell them their 5/11 information changed on 5/19 and all they say is we will let those who need to know … know but still the website hasn’t changed. People need to be proactive here for these early cruises or they will literally miss the boat!

We will be on the 6/15 cruise and I just re-checked everything Viking has sent us and there are NO mentions of the pre-flight testing requirements.  The only reference is the one on “Before you go” on MVJ.  And it still says three days.

 

So, once again, the Viking reps are spewing misinformation.

[B_A_H]

The Celebrity Millennium's first sailing from SXM was yesterday.  @Seany527 is live posting about the experience including arriving in SXM and checking in for the cruise.  It's probably a good example of what we can expect. It's certainly different than the old days but doesn't sound too terrible.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2783664-process-details-for-the-celebrity-millennium-sint-maarten-sailings/

[bafinegan]

32 minutes ago, Triptkr said:

Suppose you all have already seen this document.   I don't think I see anything in it to indicate they are going to change the days that one must be tested pre-arrival...

 

http://bermudalaws.bm/laws/Annual Laws/2020/Statutory Instruments/Quarantine (COVID-19) (No. 3) Order 2020.pdf

Yea this document also says the travel authorization must be applied for 48 hours prior to arrival in Bermuda, but the actual travel authorization form says 72-24 hours prior to arrival.  And both are on the Bermuda gov covid website...

Edited June 6, 2021 by bafinegan

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

12 minutes ago, B_A_H said:

Covid order #3 was just released.  That's the PDF that @Triptkr just posted (thank you).  Here's what it says.

 

 

The verbiage for the Travel Authorization says the same thing and references order #3.

 

 

So, for now, we can unequivocally say it's 5 days.  The airlines and Viking may not know that yet but it's 5 days.

 

But here's the thing, it could change again.  It's changed repeatedly.  Each time it does we go on another tear of "but Viking says" and the "airline's showing" and "this website doesn't match that website."  The only body with any authority is the Bermudian government ( https://www.gov.bm/coronavirus-travellers-visitors ).  So if/when it changes again that's the source of the most current information.  Viking, the airlines, and third party sites will eventually catch up.  

 

 

 

 

What do you suppose is going to happen on June 13th?

[jollyjones]

The only reason I posted the info about the changed timing for the pre-arrival test is because gov.bm is slow to update.

 

Here is the text of the press conference. Scroll down a long way to find the change to 4 days for the pre-arrival test. This is the situation as of today.

 

https://www.gov.bm/articles/covid-19-update-minister-health-remarks-18-may-2021

 

What changes on June 13th is that non-vaccinated arrivals must quarantine for 14 days in government dictated accommodation, although at the traveller's expense.

(there are some exceptions) You are of course all vaccinated so not a worry.

Edited June 6, 2021 by jollyjones

[hfjas006]

I just received this response from the Bermuda Covid 19 Response Team. They are obviously changing from 5 To 4 days just before the first cruise is set to sail. 

 

Good Day,

If you're arriving on or after June 13th, the pretest needs to be within 4 days or less (day of testing considered as day 0). Before June 13th, this requirement is 5 days.

Kind Regards,

COVID-19 Response Team 
Government of Bermuda | Department of Health
Continental Building | 25 Church Street | Hamilton, Bermuda HM 12
P.O. Box HM 1195 l Hamilton, Bermuda HM EX 
Direct Telephone: 441 444 2498 | Email: coronavirus@gov.bm 

Edited June 6, 2021 by hfjas006

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

5 minutes ago, hfjas006 said:

I just received this response from the Bermuda Covid 19 Response Team. They are obviously changing from 5 To 4 days just before the first cruise is set to sail. 

 

Good Day,

If you're arriving on or after June 13th, the pretest needs to be within 4 days or less (day of testing considered as day 0). Before June 13th, this requirement is 5 days.

Kind Regards,

COVID-19 Response Team 
Government of Bermuda | Department of Health
Continental Building | 25 Church Street | Hamilton, Bermuda HM 12
P.O. Box HM 1195 l Hamilton, Bermuda HM EX 
Direct Telephone: 441 444 2498 | Email: coronavirus@gov.bm 

Good job getting that!

 

We arrive on the 12th, but will stick with our four day timing.

[Azulann]

15 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

What do you suppose is going to happen on June 13th?

 https://www.royalgazette.com/health/news/article/20210605/controversial-hotel-quarantine-rules-delayed/

 

there is a lawsuit that was brought before a judge last week , the judge  will rule on in mid June. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Azulann

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

8 minutes ago, hfjas006 said:

I just received this response from the Bermuda Covid 19 Response Team. They are obviously changing from 5 To 4 days just before the first cruise is set to sail. 

 

Good Day,

If you're arriving on or after June 13th, the pretest needs to be within 4 days or less (day of testing considered as day 0). Before June 13th, this requirement is 5 days.

Kind Regards,

COVID-19 Response Team 
Government of Bermuda | Department of Health
Continental Building | 25 Church Street | Hamilton, Bermuda HM 12
P.O. Box HM 1195 l Hamilton, Bermuda HM EX 
Direct Telephone: 441 444 2498 | Email: coronavirus@gov.bm 

You should reply that they need to update their website.  This could trip a lot of people up.